The Adventures and Misadventures of Teddy Lupin
by Musical Missy
Summary: It's been eleven years since the end of the Second Wizarding War, and now it's time for the last generation born under Voldemort's reign of terror to begin their education at Hogwarts-and of course, that includes Teddy Lupin. Little does he know, that these next seven years are going to a mixture of emotions and experiences that will change him and his friends forever.
1. At Platform Nine and Three Quarters

It was a bit difficult not to recognize him. Although he looked like a perfectly ordinary man sending his son off to school—maybe a little bit on the young side, but not by much—the man simply had too many noticeable traits. From the untidy black hair; to the bright green eyes that blinked behind his circular glasses; to the red lightning shaped scar on his forehead, Harry Potter was very difficult to miss.

But it wasn't his own son that Harry Potter was sending off to school. Those who knew him—and even those that didn't know him—knew that the boy and the woman standing next to the-Boy-Who-Lived really had no blood relation to him at all. What the people on the platform didn't know was _who_ these two people were. Harry, who had been thrust into celebrity at a young age, was able to ignore the curious stares of the other people on the platform. The boy, who was facing that first train journey to Hogwarts by himself, less so.

"Do they have to stare so much?" he asked Harry and the woman. "They've seen you and me in the Daily Prophet enough times—it's not like I'm unknown to them."

"People always stare, Teddy," Harry said. "It's different when you see a picture of someone and then actually seeing them out and about."

"Of course, staring is rather rude," the woman said, giving a quick glare to a tall, sandy-haired man, who glared back and walked away quickly. "Honestly, you'd expect people to have more manners these days…"

Harry laughed nervously. "All right, Andromeda," he said. "There's no need to start any rows here. Now's the time to focus on Teddy." Harry slapped Teddy's shoulder, and Teddy's face and hair went red.

"I'm not going to know anyone," Teddy said nervously, stepping away from his godfather's hand.

"I didn't know anyone either when I first went," Harry said gently. "You'll always meet someone on the train, Teddy."

"But what if I don't?" Teddy asked. "What if I'm sitting in a compartment all by myself, and no-one even bothers to talk to me?"

"Well then, you'd get a bit of peace and quiet before you'd get there," Harry said, a little bit of laughter in his voice. "Once you get there, you're not going to get that, Teddy." There was a little pause.

"What if I'm in Slytherin?" Teddy whispered. Andromeda gave him a stern look.

"And what would be wrong with that?" she said sharply. Teddy's face and hair went red again.

"Nothing," he said. "It's just…well…"

"The stereotype is still there, I suppose, Andromeda," Harry said, trying to save his godson. "However," he continued, turning to Teddy, "that doesn't mean that being in Slytherin will be a bad thing, Teddy. The Sorting Hat will tell you where to go, and it wouldn't put you anywhere that wouldn't be right for you." Teddy shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. The train blew its whistle and Harry looked at the clock.

"Five minutes," Harry said. He pulled his godson into a quick hug. "You best be going now, Teddy. I promise you, it'll be fine." Teddy nodded again, and stepped away from Harry.

Andromeda hugged him next. "Don't worry so, Teddy," she said. She ran her fingers through his hair, before holding him out at arm's length. "Hair," she said. Teddy ran his own fingers through his hair, and as he did, it slowly faded back to a dark blond. He nodded at his grandmother and his godfather, and with one last wave, he stepped onto the Hogwarts Express.

Andromeda and Harry watched him get on in silence.

"You better be going back to work now, Harry," Andromeda said eventually. "You can't leave Dawlish in charge forever, you know."

"I know," Harry said, watching the door close behind Teddy. He cleared his throat. "As much as you'd like him to be Slytherin, Andromeda, I don't think he'll end up being one."

"I know," Andromeda agreed. "But as much as you'd like him to be Gryffindor, I don't think he'll be _that_ , either."

Of course, not every person was staring at Harry Potter. Some simply waved at him, others nodded at him, and, of course, a select few avoided him.

However, there were some who had no idea who he was at all, and were too focused on other things to wonder what—or _who_ —the people were staring at.

"I didn't think we'd be going there by _train_!" Victoria said excitedly. She stood on her tiptoes as if to get a better look at it. Her father frowned.

"But I thought this was a magic school," Mr Choi said, sounding irritated. "Surely if these people are wizards, then they must have a faster way to get you to this school than by train."

"Perhaps it's a magic train," Mrs Choi said, peering at the train's chimney. "Perhaps it's designed to get them there quicker than an ordinary train would. Enchanted, or something along those lines."

"Hmm," Mr Choi said, but he let the matter drop. Victoria, meanwhile, had ignored her parents' little row. She was too busy trying to take in the giant station around her. She saw children her age and older pushing the same carts from the regular side of Kings Cross Station—but instead of having suitcases on them, they had trunks, broomsticks, and sometimes even _owl_ cages.

"Oh _wow_ ," Victoria said, standing on tiptoe as she tried to get a better look at some of the owls. Mrs. Choi saw her and pushed her down, frowning a little.

"Don't be rude, Victoria," she said crisply. Victoria went red.

"Sorry, Mum," she mumbled. Mrs Choi sighed, and then hugged her daughter.

"Be good at this school, all right?" she said, rubbing her cheek against Victoria's hair. Victoria made a noise that sounded like a cat, before she pulled away from her mother and father.

"Write to us at least every few days," Mr Choi said, somewhat earnestly. "We don't expect any weekend letters, of course, but maybe every Wednesday and Friday?"

"And come home for every single holiday!" Mrs Choi added.

"And don't forget to make sure that you use your planner for every bit of homework that you're set!"

"And make sure you brush your hair and teeth every night before you go to bed!"

"All right, I will," Victoria said, aware that people were starting to look now. She waggled her fingers at her parents, picked up her trunk and started walking towards the train. Just as she was about to step onto the train, her mother called out one last thing.

"Don't forget that you can always come back home if you ever get homesick!" Mrs Choi said. Victoria had to fight back the urge to roll her eyes.

"I will, Mum!" she said, and then before her parents could say anymore, she made her way down the train carriages.

But Victoria Choi was lucky in that her parents were being affectionate towards her. Rory Holtby wasn't so lucky.

"He doesn't need to go," his mother hissed as they walked towards the barrier. "For God's sake, Callum's already a bleeding wizard. I don't need a second magical child in the family." In front of Rory, Callum's ears started turning a bright shade of red.

"Of course he needs to go," his father snapped back. "And so will Rhiannon when the time comes. _You_ might not want magical children in the family, but _I_ don't want to deal with children who can't control it and light the whole bloody house on fire!" The five of them—Rory's mum and dad, Callum, Rory himself, and Rhiannon—were on the platform by this point, and the people on the platform were turning to look at where the noise was coming from.

"This school turns them out into little freaks!" Rory's mother snarled. "It's all well and good learning how to turn a rat into a teacup, but what about their qualifications? What will they do when they need to go out job hunting, hmm?"

"There you go again, ranting about stuff that won't even happen until years from now!" Rory's father said. He threw his hands up in exasperation and very nearly slapped Rhiannon in the face. Rhiannon gave a little squeak and ran behind Callum and Rory, putting her thumb in her mouth.

"For God's sake, Cerys, you never gave a damn about this when we got married!"

"Because you didn't _tell_ me you were a wizard then! You didn't tell me that you were a wizard until I was nearly six months pregnant with Callum…"

"Come on," Callum whispered to his younger brother and sister. "Let's get away from them before people start think that we're with them." Rory nodded. He and Callum dragged their trunks away from their parents, while Rhiannon followed. When the three of them were quite certain that they were out of their parents earshot—not that they could hear their children over their shouting—Rhiannon pulled her thumb out of her mouth.

"I hate Mum and Dad," she said. It sounded so matter-of-fact that both Rory and Callum stared at her. "Well I _do_ ," she said in response to the two of them. "They're always fighting over stupid stuff. Oh, don't leave you two, I don't want to spend another year with the two of them just by myself." Rory felt wrong-footed. For one thing, he hated it when their parents argued too. But for another, it felt wrong for Rhiannon to just be so honest about it. He didn't suppose he would have the nerve to say something like that.

Perhaps he was keenly aware that their parents' argument was growing quieter, or perhaps it was the sign on the clock saying five to eleven, but Callum quickly tapped Rory on the shoulder, snapping Rory out of his thoughts. "Come on, little brother," he said. "We've got to go." Callum quickly kissed Rhiannon on the cheek. "Don't look at me like that, Rhi," Callum said. "Maybe Rory and I'll come back for Christmas. Or even if we don't, it's just one more year and you'll be off with us too." Rory nodded.

"And don't worry, we'll write you," Rory said, as his older brother started pulling him towards the train. The two of them gave a final wave to Rhiannon, and she gave them a feeble wave back. She looked like she was about to cry as she turned back to their parents, but before Rory could go out and investigate it further, the train door shut. Rory looked up at his brother anxiously.

"She'll be all right, won't she?" he asked. At least Rhiannon had him with her for the last two years—what was going to happen now?

"Yeah, she will," Callum said, putting his arm around his brother's shoulder and leading him down the corridor. "And if she isn't, well, it'd be a sign that she won't be in Gryffindor next year then, won't it?"

"Mum, Laurel's nicked my schoolbag again! I've got all my stuff in there, and she's gone and hidden it!"

"Well, it's not _my_ fault that you can't bother to keep your stuff in order, Lavonne. Honestly, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you'd been hit in the head with a stray Memory Charm when you were little. I'm surprised you ended up in Ravenclaw…"

"Mum, have you seen my prefect badge? I can't get on the train without my prefect's badge! What sort of example would I be to the other students if I didn't have it?"

"Ooh _no_ , that would be awful, wouldn't it, Nelda, if they didn't let you on the train without your _prefect's_ badge? Merlin's beard, I think the world's ending because you don't have your prefect's badge!"

"Say prefect's badge one more time, Ione. I dare you."

And so it went, all the way to the train station. Cassia Vinewood had to resist the temptation to cover her ears with her hands to stop her sisters' incessant squabbling. She was supposed to be used to it by this point—after all, with eight older sisters, it was a fact of life that someone was going to argue at some point—but at the same time, she wished that her mother would stop focusing on their stupid arguments and focus on her for once. Some of them—namely the twins, Laurel and Lavonne—were arguing on the way to the platform, though thankfully as soon as everybody got on the other side, the arguing stopped. Nelda, Laurel, Lavonne, and Ione split up to find their friends, while Briony stayed by her side. She cleared her throat awkwardly.

"So…" Briony started. "Big day today."

"Mm," Cassia said as she watched everybody else on the platform. She couldn't see any of the other first years—most of the other kids seemed to be much taller and bigger than her. Even Briony, who was only two inches taller than Cassia, suddenly seemed to be two feet taller. Briony cleared her throat again as the two of them watched the platform in silence.

"Well, this class of first years seems to be a lot smaller than last years," their mother said suddenly from behind them, making both girls jump. "But then again, the war was in full swing when you were babies, you two."

"Mm," Cassia said absent-mindedly as she watched the other students milling around. She swallowed anxiously.

"Do you think…I'll be…?" she started, but the words died in her throat. She couldn't let herself express the fears that she was facing, because she knew then that her sisters would scoff at her. Then Cassia remembered that the only sister who was near her was Briony, and Briony didn't care about these sorts of things anyway. But still, Cassia couldn't help biting her lip as she noticed that some of the students had already changed into their robes, with Gryffindor red, Slytherin green, Ravenclaw blue, and Hufflepuff yellow all standing out against the black. Mrs Verboom followed Cassia's eyes and gave her shoulders a tight squeeze.

"You'll go where you belong, Cass," she said. "And even if you don't go where we expect you to…well…Ravenclaw won't be so bad, will it? Besides you'll be with Briony if you end up there, and I think she'll end up watching you a lot more carefully than Ione would, won't you, Briony?"

" _Mum_ ," Briony said, her cheeks glowing red under her mother's pointed glare, as the train whistle rang and Nelda walked up to them.

"We really must be going now Mum, it's nearly twelve o'clock," Nelda said briskly. Cassia noticed, with a feeling of dread, that Nelda was also one of the students who had changed into their robes, with her blue and silver prefect's badge shining on her chest. "Don't worry, I'll look after Cassia as best as I can, and then after the Sorting…well, I'll make it clear to Laurel and Ione that they must set a good example to her, especially seeing as none of us more responsible ones will be there…" Nelda let out a sniff.

"Yes, all right, Nelda," Mrs Verboom said, sounding annoyed. She gave both Briony and Cassia a kiss on their cheeks. "Be good, you two."

" _Locomotor trunks_ ," Nelda said after Mrs Verboom gave her a kiss too. Both Briony and Cassia's trunks lifted up in the air, and Nelda carried them onto the train, with both of her little sisters shuffling behind awkwardly. Cassia gave one last look at her mother from the carriage before the door shut behind her.

"Well, then," Nelda said as she placed the trunks on the ground. "I will be heading off to the prefects' compartment. Look after your sister, Briony." And with that, Nelda pushed past them on her way to the prefects' compartment. Briony stuck her tongue out behind her back.

"Where do you want to sit?" Cassia asked as the two of them started heading down the train.

"Actually, Cass," Briony said, sounding apologetic, "I told my friends I'd sit with them. You can find a compartment by yourself, can't you? Or, if you can't, I'm sure Nelda will look after you once she gets out of the prefects' compartment."

"Yeah," Cassia said, trying to sound braver than she felt. "Yeah, no problem Briony. I'll sort something out." Briony gave her a grin, pulled one of her plaits affectionately, and stepped into a compartment just a little way from where Cassia was standing. Cassia sighed, and made her way down the train, checking through every door to see if she could find an empty compartment—or at the very least, one with another first year in it. She found several of the latter, but she couldn't make herself open the door and say, "Hello, my name is Cassia Verboom. May I sit with you?" Eventually, towards the back of the train, she found a compartment that was completely empty. She practically fell into the compartment with relief, and, not even bothering to put her trunk up in the rack, collapsed in the seat next to the window. She stared at London going past her, and wondered how she was going to end up in Gryffindor if she couldn't even ask someone if she could sit with them.


	2. First Encounters

Sometimes Teddy wished that his Metamorphagus abilities had the power to make him invisible. Then people wouldn't stare at him so much.

It wasn't that he didn't love his godfather—as a matter of fact, Teddy absolutely adored Harry—but the fact was, whether Harry liked it or not, he was a _celebrity_. _He_ was the Boy Who Lived. _He_ was the one who ended You-Know-Who's reign of terror. _He_ was the one who ended up being the youngest head of the Auror office in almost two hundred years. And with those sorts of accomplishments under his belt, it was unsurprising that wherever he went in public there would always be people swarming to meet him. And whenever Teddy was with him, he would get dragged into those masses of people too. And then the questions would start.

"So how do you know him? You're not one of his sons, are you?"

"You're his _godson_? Where're your mum and dad then? Why aren't you with them, instead of bothering _him_?"

"Oh my stars, I understand! He must have been like a father to you, ever since the death of your parents! So tell me then, what's it like having to live with such an important man as your godfather? Do you feel pressure to live up to his expectations?"

But at least during those times Harry was able to cut those people quickly with a few choice statements, and then would usher Teddy away as fast as he could. But here, on the Hogwarts Express, Harry wasn't there to do that. So Teddy had to make his way through the train himself, listening to the whispers of his fellow students all the while.

"Did you see him? He was with Harry Potter. _The_ Harry Potter!"

"What was he doing with him?"

"I heard Harry Potter pretty much adopted him. He never knew his parents, see, and Potter could relate with that."

"What's his name anyway? It's Lupin, isn't it?"

"Lupin? Wasn't he a…?"

Teddy moved faster down the train, searching for an empty compartment. He finally found one that looked empty at the very back of the train, and ran in there quickly, slamming the door shut behind him with a loud bang.

Only the compartment wasn't empty. There was a girl sitting at the window, looking to be about Teddy's age, maybe a little bit older. The two of them stared at each other for what felt like forever, Teddy feeling embarrassed, while the girl looked scared. It certainly didn't help that her hazel eyes were practically popping out of her head, giving her the appearance of a mouse that had been seen by a cat. Finally, Teddy broke the silence.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" he said. "It's just that everywhere else is pretty much full…"

The girl didn't speak for a second, still staring at Teddy, before she jumped again. "Oh yes, of course," she said in a high voice, speaking far too quickly. "Go right ahead." Teddy put his trunk in the luggage rack above him before sitting across from the girl. The two of them had fallen into silence again, and Teddy could see that a pink flush was spreading across the girl's cheeks.

"Are you Muggle-born?" he asked finally, trying to make the girl feel more at ease. The girl's eyes snapped away from the window towards him.

"What makes you say that?" she said, her voice starting to quiver. Teddy shrugged.

"It's just that you have that look that Muggle-borns typically have," he said. "You know, the sort of look that makes it look like they're about to jinxed any second, and that it's impossible for them to be witches and wizards. That sort of look." The girl's cheeks went even pinker.

"I'm not Muggle-born," she said. "I'm pure-blood." Her cheeks went bright red at this, as if she expected to be yelled at because of what she was. Teddy blinked before he smiled at her in what he hoped what was a comforting way.

"Well that's all right then," he said brightly. "Then that means you won't have to worry about stuff like the Sorting, right?"

"Maybe I won't," the girl said. She looked at Teddy in the eye for the first time. "But I've got eight older sisters and…and I suppose I've got a lot to live up to." She started biting the skin around her thumb. "And it's a bit…well, when they've all been successful and stuff, it's a bit hard to not worry about what the teachers will think."

"I understand," Teddy said, his heart starting to thump quickly. "My grandmother is from a really old wizarding family, and my godfather…well…he's made a bit of a name for himself, to say it lightly."

"I know," the girl said, but before she could say anything more the compartment door opened. An East Asian girl with neat bobbed hair was standing there.

"Hiya," she said chirpily, with a big smile on her face. "I'm really sorry to ask this, but do you mind if Rory and I join you? It's just that nobody else really wants two more first years in their compartment." Teddy and the girl exchanged a look, and the girl gave him a slight nod of her head.

"Come right in," Teddy said, and the East Asian girl's smile got even wider.

"Thanks," she said, before she called down the train. "Rory! These two are going to let us sit with them!" There were the thuds of someone running while they dragged a trunk behind them, and a tall sandy-haired boy appeared next to the East Asian girl. Rory ended up sitting next to Teddy after he placed his trunk on the luggage rack, while the two girls ended up sitting next to each other.

"Right," the East Asian girl said. "Now that we're all sitting comfortably, let's introduce ourselves. As you heard me say, that's Rory Holtby." Rory gave a slight wave. "And I'm Victoria Choi. Very nice to meet you all." She gave a slight nod of her head and then turned to Teddy and the other girl. "So? What are your names then?"

"I'm Teddy," Teddy said. "Teddy Lupin." Rory's mouth fell open in shock, but Victoria didn't even react to Teddy's last name.

"Is Teddy _short_ for something?" she asked. "Or are you actually named Teddy? I heard there was an American who was named Teddy ages ago—I think he was one of their presidents or something—but whenever I hear just Teddy I think teddy _bear_." Teddy couldn't help but smile at this. Victoria had to be Muggle-born, otherwise she would've reacted to the Lupin part of his name instead of the Teddy part.

"Yeah, it's short for Edward," Teddy said. "I was named after my granddad but I never knew him. He died before I was born, see."

"Well that's sweet," Victoria said, and she looked like she genuinely meant it. "I'm sure he would've liked to have met you very much, Teddy." Teddy gave her another smile and patted his hair, hoping that it hadn't turned red again.

"But what about you?" Victoria said, and Teddy had to wonder how she hadn't gone red in the face with the amount of talking that she'd done. "What's your name then?" The other girl went pink again as all three pairs of eyes faced her.

"I'm Cassia Verboom," she said.

"Do you go by Cass or Sia or something like that?" Victoria said. "Because I've never heard of someone being called Cassia before. Were you named after someone too?" Cassia went bright pink again.

"Leave her be, Victoria," Rory said, kindly but firmly. Victoria shrugged before she turned back to face the boys. Teddy saw that Cassia had turned back to the window before he turned his attention back to Victoria again.

"So what houses do you think you're all going to be in?" Victoria said, commanding the conversation again. "I read about them in _Hogwarts: A History_. They all sound quite interesting but I don't think I'd want to be in Slytherin. For one thing, it says they don't really like allowing people like me—people whose parents aren't magical—in and I read somewhere else that's where You-Know-Who ended up. I think I'd like to be in Gryffindor most of all—that's the house that Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter were in, and they were two of the most important wizards of the last twenty years!"

"I'm going to be in Hufflepuff," Rory said matter-of-factly. "It's where my dad was and where my brother is now. I suppose that could change but if it doesn't, Dad and Callum say that Hufflepuff throw's some really good midnight feasts on account of the fact that the common room is right next to the kitchens."

"Oh yes, _Hogwarts: A History_ mentioned that," Victoria said, nodding. "And there's another house—Ravenclaw—and that's for really smart people, isn't it?"

"But not everyone who's really smart ends up in Ravenclaw though," Teddy said. "My godfather is friends with Hermione Granger and she is practically the smartest person in the whole wizarding world—and _she_ was in Gryffindor." As soon as the words left Teddy's mouth he realized his mistake but it was too late. Cassia's gaze fixed upon him again, and Rory slapped his thigh in excitement.

"Bleeding knew it!" he said, a grin lighting up his face. "Your godfather is _Harry Potter_." Victoria's eyebrows suddenly shot up.

"You actually know Harry Potter?" she said, and she leaned so far out of her seat that Teddy was surprised that she didn't topple over. "That's really cool! Does he really have a tattoo of a…a…hipponipp on his chest then, Teddy?"

"Hippo _griff_ ," Cassia corrected her firmly, but Victoria waved her away.

"Whatever," she said. "Well, does he?" Teddy stared at her for a few seconds before he suddenly doubled over laughing.

"I'm sorry," he said, covering his mouth when he saw Victoria's hurt expression and Cassia and Rory's confused ones. "But of all the things that people have asked me about my godfather, nobody has ever asked me _that_ one before." The rest of the compartment was silent while Teddy finished his laughing fit, with the silence only being broken when the witch came by with the sweet trolley. Both Cassia and Rory stood up to get something while Victoria waited. Once Cassia and Rory sat back down—Rory passing out Cauldron Cakes and Chocolate Frogs as he went—did Victoria break the silence again.

"So people must ask you a lot of things about your family, Teddy?" Victoria said. "I'm sorry that I…well…I pried."

"And I'm sorry too," Rory said with his mouth full of Cauldron Cake. "Didn't mean to act so excited. It's just…well…I've never met anyone really famous before…and…your godfather…well…he's really cool." Rory gave Teddy a sheepish smile and Teddy returned it warmly.

"Now that's all sorted then," Cassia said, sounding irritated, "can we leave the poor boy alone?"

"Oh come on," Victoria said, giving Cassia a devilish grin, "like you weren't practically bombarding him with questions before Rory and I came in."

"I wasn't, actually," Cassia said. "But you can believe what you like, Victoria. Just don't expect to be earning a whole lot of favours from me." And with that, Cassia turned to the window again. Victoria turned back to Rory and Teddy with her eyes wide.

"What's up with her?" she mouthed at the two boys. Teddy didn't respond to her, but instead turned back to Cassia.

"Hey, Cass?" Teddy said. "Are you all right?"

"I wasn't trying to make fun of you, Cassia, honest," Victoria added.

"You can have one of my Cauldron Cakes if you like," Rory said, "considering you've only got Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans. What if you end up with a bogie one?" Cassia turned away from the window and looked at the Cauldron Cake in Rory's hand. It was a little squished, but overall still looked fairly appetizing. She tentatively took it out of his hand and then nibbled at it. She didn't say anything, but she nodded at him. Rory winked back. Cassia then opened the box of Bertie Botts and then offered it to the rest of the compartment.

"Shall we play a game?" she said, shaking the box. She gave a sly look to Victoria. "Don't worry, Victoria, they don't _actually_ have every flavour. Rory's just teasing you. As a matter of fact, considering that you're Muggle-born, I think you should have the honours of going first." Victoria pulled out a light pink bean, sniffed it, and then popped it in her mouth.

"Ergh! Dish soap!" But she was laughing—and so was Cassia. Soon the boys had joined in too, swapping flavours with the girls; crowing with delight whenever they got a good flavour and swearing and sighing when the flavour didn't turn out to be as nice as the colour let on.

Sometimes, all that's needed to form a friendship is to share sweets around.


End file.
